Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

the heinous offence of giving lib
erty to his kinsman.
When. Floyd Allen's kin saw
that he was goings to be sent to
jaiKfpr a long period, . they sent
desperate message to Judge Mas-,
sie: j
"Send an Allen to jail, and you
will die.f
But Massie, a man of the moun
tains himself, and' as fearless as
iheAJlens, saw only his simple
duty as a Judge. The day before
the sentencing, of Floyd Allen, ti
friend urged Massie to arm him
self. 4. V
-"I would rather go to my death
than enter a courtroom carrying
arms," he answered, simply.
A brave man, for he, well knew
he was wooing death.
The jury retired, andwvhile it
was gone, there was a rush qf po
nies' feet outside the courtroom.
The Aliens had come.
Winchester rifles slung care
lessly through their arms, their
pockets bulging and heavy with
revolvers, their faces hard and
stern, fhey crowded into the
courtroom.'
And seeing them, Judge Mas
sienever faltered, neter hesitated.
His life he knew was forfeit, hut
he saw only his duty as a, judge,
of, the State of Virginia. '
The foreman of the jury whis
pered the word guilty, and Judge
Massie pronounced sentence.
The next moment he fell dead,
riddled with bullets. ?
Then the sheriff, tnenthe pros
ecutor, then the court clerk, then
jurors and spectators, -fell crum
pled ancUbleeding in the crossfire
of bullets between the-AIlens and
the .sheriff's deputies.
The carnage over, the Aliens,
with smoking rifles held at the
ready, retreated from the court
room mounted their ponies, and
rode off into the depths of the
mountains, across swollen-creeks
and precipice - clinging roads,
knee, deep in sticky mud.
Desperate criminals?
No. The Aliens are but the vic
tims of isolation; the tragic chil
dren of another century, whose
misfortune it has been to be born
in a world they do not understand
and which cannot understand
them.
SIDNEY ALLEN ESCAPES
I IS THE REPORT
Hillsville, March 16. Sidney &
Allen, leader , of the Allen, clan, ,
and, old as he is, the most danger-) s
ous member of it, has escaped, vt
He was captured late yesterday
afternoon. Two score of detec-a,
tives surround his lonely moun-"
tain cabin. .
They hid in the brush, andp
poured a hail of bullets into the
cabin. He answered their fire J
vth his Winchester, aiming at,,
the flashes 'of their guns.
The detectives kept on pouring
lead into the cabin until at last,t
the mountaineer's fire wis silenc
ed. Then 'they advanced, warily, B
and entered the cabin.
The first detective to step in
side stumbled over the dea'd body
of Sidney's wife. It was riddled
with bullets. She had been load
ing her husband's rifles.
The old man Was lying in a cor- i